Valiant
by Flautasareamazing
Summary: Something is coming. M.K. knows it, but everyone else, including Nod, is too busy celebrating the new queen to listen to her. And come something does, leaving trouble in its wake.
1. Chapter 1

I...I was still small. Why? I got here in time for the pod to bloom, so why wasn't I normal sized again? It didn't make any sense. But I'd I was honest with myself, did I really want to leave all of this behind?

I was pulled away from my thoughts as twinkling lights rose from the pod and swirled around the room, illuminating the room with a cheerful air as they glided to stop in front of me and formed a sparkling image of the woman I now know was Tara, the Queen of the forest. The twinkling lights suited her, they were awe-striking and beautiful, but not gaudy and overdone. They gave the gentle, if ghostly, quality of a powder painted translucent glass figurine, much like what you might find atop an antique music box. She was there, but wasn't at the same time. The shimmer of the lights made her seem as if she was fading in and out of our reality and one somewhere else, which she was. Her ghostly form smiled softly at me, "Take care of them for me," She said gently, then turned to Ronin, who was smiling for the first time I had seen, "There's that smile," she said to him with a grin, and his joyful smile turned to one of sadness and longing. Turning back to me, she placed her lips to my forehead, then faded back into the realm from which she had come. I heard a gasp, but didn't understand what was going on. The next thing I knew, they were all bowing. Why were they bowing? I wasn't someone important. I was M.K., the stomper who got shrunk and fell in love with a leaf man...did I say that out loud? It's not like I was the Queen. The Queen...oh great...

Nod well...nodded. Gestured with his head would probably be a better word, for me to look down. The sight that awaited me made me gasp.

All the way to the floor, falling in soft, cream colored ripples, were rose petals forming the swirl-waisted skirt and bodice of a dress that slowly transitioned to an iridescent ivory at the train to a vivid red characterized solely to roses, with no definite point of change between the colors that slowly shifted through the color spectrum as they spiraled upwards. Though I couldn't see it, I knew by the weight of it that my hair had at least doubled in length instantaneously with two waterfall braids that met in the back of my head, leaving soft curls falling through in a cascade of auburn.

Looking around, I made myself place a smile on my face, seeing as everyone else was happy. Except one. There was only one face in the crowd that wasn't smiling, though her mother reprimanded her and it was evident that she was trying, I could still see the tears in her eyes. I couldn't just let her cry, could I? I walked over to her, though it was slower than usual, as any dress that beautiful is, naturally, very heavy. When I reaches her, she looked up at me with tears in her eyes as I bent to eye level with her and pulled her into a gentle hug. "Its okay, sweetie, you are a queen, whether anyone else knows it or not, and you'll do great things in your lifetime," I told her. It was a strange feeling, I was talking and the words were mine, but I felt as though it was someone else speaking. I would just have to get used to it I supposed, and it was okay, I realized as she smiled up at me, her tears stopping gradually. Ronin nodded his approval with a small smile, and Nod just kept his smirk-like from in place.

The festive atmosphere remained, and it appeared I was the only one troubled by easily Mandrake was imprisoned. It appeared to me that he wanted to be locked up. As if this was all a game to make him feel glorified. And that child me to the bone. No one, not even Nod could make me change my mind about the fact that something was coming. Something big.


	2. Chapter 2

Where was she? She was here a second ago! And I knew she couldn't just plain disappear, so she had to be around here somewhere. A flutter of green and blue feathers caught my eye. A hummingbird, no doubt about it, and carrying M.K., but where was she going. Oh, well I'd figure it out, its not like I respect people's personal space anyway. I found a bird and followed her, knowing she was bound to stir up some sort of trouble. She had flown to one of the windows of her father's house. Judging by the fact that it was pink and had pictures of her and her friends in it, I assumed that it was her room. Otherwise her dad had some serious issues.

I found her crying, sitting on her knees, head on her arms, crying on a picture frame. She was mumbling things, but I couldn't hear them, they were too drowned out by the sobbing. I looked up at the picture as I caught one word from her. "Mom." So that's who was with her in the picture. But why was she crying about her mom…..oh.

Wordlessly, I gathered her into my arms. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes before burying her face in my chest and continuing to cry as I stroked her hair gently. This continued for several minutes until the door creaked open. That was a very 'oh shit' moment indeed.M.K.'s dad gave her one of those I-don't know-what-happened-but-I'm-sorry looks and shot me a you-are-so-dead-for-making-her-cry looks at the same time. I should've waited outside and let her have her privacy, but she just looked so….fragile. So delicate. She looked like a gust of wind could break her and I couldn't just leave her like that. It killed me on the inside to see her like that. I don't think I could ever leave her like that. No one should ever have to be alone like that. Luckily, M.K.'s dad wasn't one for hovering, and didn't try to kill me for not leaving her. I wiped away her tears with my thumb, resting my hand on her cheek. She smiled weakly at me, and I brushed away the hair that had fallen into her face. i hardly noticed the subtle decrease of space between us until our foreheads were touching and she had pressed her lips to mine before I even had enough time to blush. I mean, obviously, I kissed her back it it was…..wow...it was the most amazing feeling ever. It felt like, for a few seconds, nothing existed but us. There was nothing else in the whole world, and I could remember thinking to myself, _so this is love. So this is what makes life divine_. And divine it was. We pulled away, beaming. Even after the kiss, she remained in my arms, her head on my chest as we talked for a few more minutes.

All good things have to come to an end, however, and we eventually had to head back to Moonhaven, otherwise Ronin and the others would get worried. So we departed, though this time, M.K. rode with me, her bird following us.

The ride back was amazing. The whole forest seemed different now that Mandrake was gone. The stars seemed to shine even brighter, giving everything their light reached an ethereal beauty, especially M.K. because she was already so beautiful to begin with, though I might be a bit biased. We rode back in comfortable silence, and about halfway there, M.K. fell asleep, which irked Ronin when we arrived, since I didn't want to wake her and elected to carry her to where she would be staying. I ended up staying there, though I slept on the couch, so that she wouldn't freak out when she woke up. I lay there for probably an hour, replaying the nights events before exhaustion overcame me and I drifted into a slumber filled with dreams of M.K.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke to the first soft, golden rays of the sunrise sifting through the sheer curtains covering a large window overlooking the forest that seemed so happy to match the feelings of its inhabitants. I sat up,noting that I was in a bed, in a room that I had never seen before. looked around, the large, open area around me. The airy, well-lit space seemed to be made of mostly gray stone, with intricate, delicate swirls of blues, greens, purples, yellows, golds and reds mixed in like you would find in a freshly polished stone. The room had little furniture, consisting of a bed, a couch, a table with a set of chairs and a bench seat under the window, all coverings being a light, leafy green, and the table made of polished wood, not so very different from what you might find in a normal house hold. Silently, I swung my legs over the edge of the be and stood slowly, walking to the window. I pulled aside the silky soft curtains, looking out at the trees and the river. The tweeting of birds and squealing of children out playing in the forest drifted to my ears, an airy smile making its way to my lips.

I felt arms wrap loosely around my waist and a head settle on my shoulder. Looking over, I smiled wider upon seeing it was Nod. His hair was mussed up and he looked like he had just woken up, and, let's be honest, half-asleep looked good on him. Then again, everything looked good on him, or nothing, depending on which way you look at , did I really just think that, I felt the heat rush to my cheeks and made sure he couldn't how red I was lushing. Luckily, he was to tired to notice before I was back to normal.

"Morning," He rumbled sleepily, placing a soft kiss on my shoulder. I grinned at him, turning in his arms so that I was facing him.

"Morning, " I replied, kissing his cheek. "Sleep well?"

He rolled his eyes. "Even in Moonhaven, a couch is a couch, " He responded unenthusiastically, still looking quite exhausted.

"Well, why didn't you sleep in the bed then?"

"That would be frowned upon in general society, " He answered with a bit of a smirk, though we both knew he really didn't care about that. For pete's sake, the man quit his job and left the closest thing he had to family on the biggest day of the _century_. If there was one thing Nod definitely didn't care about, it was what 'general society' thought about him, his actions, or his choices.

"And that's stopped you...when exactly?" I asked. He shrugged in response.

"When I thought it might make you mad," He replied sheepishly, "Plus, not my house, not my rules."

I raised an eyebrow, "Whose house is it then?" I asked, glancing around at the room I was in.

"Yours, of course,"He answered, acting like I should know that, which kinda pissed me off just a bit, but I wasn't going to let it show.

"Well, then, if I make the rules, go back to sleep, you look like you need it," I said, nodding towards the bed. Frankly, I would've liked to join him, but, as he proved by being very gentlemanly and sleeping on the couch, he wasn't comfortable with that, so I wasn't going to bring it up.

He chuckled softly, "I think you might need it more than I do, seeing as you all but passed out last night."

"I'm fine, Nod, really, go get some sleep," I responded, shooing him over to the bed with a look that dared him to argue it further. He huffed defeatedly and laid down,looking pointedly at me. "Happy?" He asked sarcastically. I nodded my approval, sitting down on the window bench and gazing out of it distantly. I sighed sleepily and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

"M.K.?" He called softly. I turned to see him holding his arms out to me, "You should come to bed, you need more sleep and you know it." I definitely couldn't say no to that. I walked over and laid down with him. He wrapped his arms around me, and that's how I drifted to sleep. With my head on his chest and his arms around me, feeling I was exactly where I should be for the first time in a very long time.


	4. Chapter 4

"What the hell is wrong with you, Nod? Do you really not see how badly this is going to end?" Ronin lectured. I was, quite frankly, sick of it. He was all ninety two thousand kinds of upset because he found out about me and M.K.'s... well, I suppose you could call it a relationship, though that's really not my decision to make alone. I didn't need to hear how stupid we were. I didn't care, and no matter what he said, I wasn't going to end things with M.K. just because he wanted me to.I wasn't doing anything just because he wanted me to, and he needed to get that through his thick skull before I had to pound it in myself. I took a deep breath, calming myself so that I wouldn't do something I would regret later, namely kill him. That would make for ruining what had been a very good day until about half an hour ago when I had gone to see Ronin and apologize properly about what happened to Tara, when he started going off on me about M.K. "Why are you doing this to yourself, kid? You're both going to get hurt and that's all you'll get from your fooling around!"

"Don't you get it?" I snapped. "We aren't just fooling around! I love her! I... I'm in love with her, "I whispered to myself, letting what I had said sink in. Ronin chuckled, shaking his head as a flashof auburn hair and a red dress bolting down the hall caught my eye. Well... there goes my sanity. I chased after her, catching up to her as she ran into her room. "M.K., wait! " I interrupted, catching her hand. She pulled away and ran off towards the woods, finally escaping my sight and teaching the point where I could no longer hear her footfalls. I grabbed I'm frustration and kicked a tree, then promptly referred it, clutching my foot as pain seared through it. I was out looking for her for almost half an hour when Ronin found me and dragged me back, telling me I needed to "give her space" . Defeatedly, I returned with him, anxiously waiting for M.K.'s return, which did not occur. It was dark and I was worried. What if something had happened to her? Why wasn't she back? This just wasn't like her, and it was scaring me.

Ronin came to get me with four words that tore my heart in half.

"Mandrake' s loose. M.K.'s gone. "


	5. Chapter 5

**To answer bookmaniac's question, yes M.K. is the queen :) **

* * *

"Ow, " I groaned, struggling to sit up and rubbing my rather sore head, which was throbbing painfully and appeared to have been slammed down on the dingy, blood-stained, squalid stone floor. I leaned against the wall for support, shivering in disgust at the smell of mold and the spongy texture it bore, to steady myself as the room spun and faded in and out of my view. I pulled the hand away from my head, feeling a wave of nausea roll over me, meaning to place it over my mouth to prevent myself from vomiting, only to find it covered in my own blood.

I nearly did vomit, but managed to contain myself. The room wasn't spinning so much anymore, and I slowly attempted to come to grips with my location.

The floor was covered in blood, bones, rotten leaves and what looked horrifically simular to the decaying body of a leafman the had been halfway devoured by maggots and other scavenger bugs. The walls were not quite so bad, covered in slimy, spongy, oozing, vile mold seeping a toxic-smelling gas that made the whole muggy, disgusting room spin like a ballerina on a music box with her painted shoes on and satin ribbons in her hair. The ceiling wasn't so bad, but there was no light let in through it, and it made certain that the room was almost pitch black.

It was hard to breath for the humid, stale thickness of the putrid air laying like a heavy blanket in the room, and I found myself drifting in suffocation from the lack of oxygen. Swirling lights were twinkling in my vision as I tried desperately to gulp down the foul air to no avail. A cruel and familiar laugh filed the room as I fell backwards, almost floating, as my vision faded into the eerie, silent, blissfully uncaring blackness of unconsciousness.


	6. Chapter 6

We scoured the forest for hours and hours, days upon days, searching for any sign of Mandrake, or, more importantly, of M.K. I was frantic. Hadn't eaten, slept, or even stopped to rest since she had vanished. How could I? This was my fault and I wasn't giving up until I found her.

* * *

My plans were playing out perfectly. My army was reforming, filling the filthy green world of Moonhaven will my beautiful rot and ruin, and there was nothing those brainless leafman could do. I had the ultimate bargaining chip: their precious queen.

That wasn't the only reason of keeping her alive, of course. No, that was much more delicate a piece of the intricate scene unfolding in front of me. I needed to keep the brat alive so that, when the time came, she could select a pod to become my little dark prince, and the leafmen couldn't stop me. The problem with keeping her alive feel in the fact that, if not closely supervised, she could destroy all my work with a wave of her hands, so I had to keep her as weak as possible. She would be carefully and systematically starved to an inch of her life, given something to eat, and promptly be rendered unconscious by a handy dandy toxin in the food. Otherwise, she was just knocked out by one of the guards before she could cause any real trouble.

The girl was a real pain, though, not compliant in the slightest when it came to interrogations, which were very strenuous thanks to her.

Killing her would almost be easier. It would fill the forest and Moonhaven with my wondrous rot, and there would be nothing left for the leafmen to fight for. But, my plan was my plan and I would adhere to it. I would have my dark prince, and that was that. After I had him, whether the queen stated alive was of no consequence to me, so I would most likely just kill her then and be done with it.

Suddenly, the door burst in, stopping my pacing. "Sir, the brat is gone! "

"She's what?!"

"Gone, Sir."

"You idiot! Go and find her, then! And don't come back until you do! "


	7. Chapter 7

I scrambled up towards the top of the vine, clinging to it with every ounce of strength I had. I had to her out, and the only way out was up, so up I went. My head was pounding, my vision was boring, and my feet felt like lead, but I scurried on between the trees, pulling myself to the top of one. Frantically, I whisted for a bird, having to precariously perch out of the sight of any of the boggans that must have noticed I was gone by now. The bird didn't show and I Sent out another whistle. Waited. Nothing. I was about to call again when I heard the beating of wings and saw the outline of a sparrow with a man forming in the distance. I smiled a bit to myself before my exhaustion caught up with me. My vision was blurring, everything ached, and I had to clutch the tree as a coughing fit wracked my body. As it passed, I moved to stand up straight when I felt something dropping down my chin. I assumed it was just spit our mucous, and word it away, shocked to see the backside of my hand now covered in blood.

I wobbled faintly, clutching the tree and coughing again. The pain in my head and lungs worsened, my ankle, which I appeared to have twisted, gave way, almost toppling me with a searing pain. I gripped tighter to the tree, hoping I could keep my balance and not fall to my death.

The wings stopped fluttering and I heard someone jump down and begin walking towards me. "M.K." So it was Nod, "I'm so glad you're safe! Are you okay? What happened?" He sounded frantic, but I could barely hear him over the ringing in my ears. He stepped closer. "M.K. what's wrong?!"

I didn't answer. The world fell silent and dark and I fell. I didn't even register that I was faling. I just fell. Backwards, forwards, I really don't know. I don't even know if Nod caught me, but it was okay. Falling was better than staying up. And I knew that, because when I fell, there were no problems, there was nothing except the cool air blowing past my face as I forgot the world.


	8. Chapter 8

Super super sorry you guys! I've had a rough few days, but I'm back now, and I promise three new chapters today, at least one a day for the next three days, and four a day each day this weekend :) forgive me? :D

I heard that frantic whistle before I could regester the figure I saw running through the forest. Whoever it was, they obviously needed help, or they wouldn't sound so scared. As I darted after the figure, I observed it. Or her, more specifically. It was a woman, aroud M.K.'s age. She was barefoot, her feet torn and bleeding. She was clothed in what remained of what I'm certain was once part of a particularly beautiful dress, though now it was torn off above the knee, ripped in places, and covered in blood, dirt, and a particularly large layer of from. Her auburn hair was matted with dead leaves, twigs, and dried blood tangled in a chaotic mess. Scratches, cuts, and bruises covered almost all of her visible skin, standing out darkly against her deathly pale skin. The tattered dress hung loosely on a frail and emaciated frame that showed several of the fragile girl's ribs through a gash in the side of the fabric.

I turned as the leaves rushed behind her. Sheer panic overtook her and she increased her speed, beginning to pull herself up a tree. A boggan kept from the bushes and I took it out with an arrow without pause.

The girl made it to the end of a branch, whistling again. I urged my sparrow faster, and landed as she was about to send out another call.

I stepped closer, trying to see who she was. Oh no. M.K. what have I let happen to you? How could I do this to you?

"Are you alright? M.K. what happened?" I asked. She swayed slightly, clutching the tree. I stepped forward just in time for her to let go of the tree, hand still raised slightly, and fall backwards, eyes fluttering closed as she did. I held out my arms, catching her, then picking her up, cradling the woman I loved against my chest. I carried her back to the bird, climbing on and taking off, not letting go of M.K. for anything.

I flew us back to Moonhaven as quickly as I could. Ronin and a few other leafmen were waiting when we arrived. They pelted me with questions, but I ignored them, storming straight to M.K.'s room, too focused on the girl in my arms that seemed as fragile as the wings of a stained glass butterfly.

I laid her down on the bed and gently sat down next to her. I ran my hands through her hair, ridding it of the leaves and twigs, though the dirt and blood I couldn't do much for. I stood silently and walked to the kitchen. I grabbed a hand towel and wet it with warm water from the sink. I returned to M.K., gently wiping the dirt and blood from her beautiful face. I set after cleaning up the cuts, particularly the worse ones.

"N-Nod?" I heard her mumbled, her eyes fluttering open, her breathing slightly ragged.

"I'm here, M.K., I'll always be here," I promised, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple.


	9. Chapter 9

**Super Duper Sorry! My Wi-Fi crashed, them my computer crashed, and now I'm sick. I swear the universe is conspiring against us. Grrrrr. Anyways, on with the chapter! **

Nod looked horrible, it seemed as though he hadnt eaten, slept, or shaved in days. The shaving part I was alright with, though. He looked good in scruffy. But starving and exhusted, not so much, and to think that it was my fault nearly brought me to tears on its own. What I had done was unforgivable, and though I knew Nod would never even start to think of blaming me, I knew deep in my heart that I would always regret every single second of pain that I put him through. "I'm so sorry Nod, I never meant for this to happen. This whole thing should never have happened." I mumbled, clutching his hand like both of our lives depended on it.

"M.K. , don't apologize for this. Dont you ever apologize for this. None of this was your fault. None of it will ever be your fault. I shouldn't have hidden what I said, should have manned up and told you to your face," he said softly, storking my cheek with his thumb. It was a simple gesture, but it brought so much warmth and happiness to me, it was unbelievable.

"Will you?" I asked peering up at him pleadingly through my eyelashes.

"Will I what?" He asked softly.

"Tell me," I reponded in kind.

He took in a deep breath, and held my face in his hands. "Mary Katherine, I love you and I always will."

"I-I love you, too, Nod," I said quietly. I almost couldn't believe the words coming out of my mouth, though with every fiber of my being, I knew them to be true. But the truth was, I wasn't just admitting it to him, I was admitting it to myself. I loved Nod I really and truly did, and nothing would ever be able to change that.

And, with that, , he softly pressed his lips to mine in a slow, gentle kiss that took my breath away. There were butterflies going crazy in my stomach, and my thoughts were a tangled mess. I pulled away with a grin, only to kiss him again a few seconds later. We continued in this pattern for several minutes, only stopping for air.

Eventually, though, I was conscious of the grime covering my skin, hair, and clothes, and elected to take a shower. After declining to Nod's , very tempting and very joking, "Can I join you?" I went to go and take my much-needed shower.

The warm water felt amazing, amd it felt great to not be covered in grime. It took quite a while to get everything out of my hair and just plain off me in general. I hated mot being clean, it made me itch all over. It was yhe most digusting feeling I'd ever had, and I was very happy to be rid of it. When I emerged, I changed into something much less formal and much, much more comfortable than my dress, which was now in tatters.

I smiled as I returned to the main room, seeing Nod sitting at the window, smiling absently. He smiled at me and gestured for me to sit with him, and I gladly accepted the invitation, smiling warmly as he wrapped his arms around me. I felt safe for the first time in a long time, and I knew that there was no place I'd rather be than right here, right now, with the man I loved, and though I was only two inches tall, I felt like nothing could ever stand in my way.


	10. Chapter 10

How did I get so lucky? How was it possible for me to be here, with the most beautiful girl in the whole world lying in my arms, telling me she loved me? It had been so long since I had anything to live for. Anyone to protect, and I'd be damned if I'd let her go. I knew that, in an instant, I would give my life to save hers without a moment's pause. I wouldn't ever let any harm come to her. I had lost too many of those I loved already.

My mind wandered breifly to my family.

My father was a firm yet loving man with a strong will and a stupid amount of bravery. He, like Roning and now myself, was a leafman, and when Tara was first threatened by mandrake nearly fifteen years ago, he was one of the first to rush in to her aid. He took no thought of what harm might come to him. The number of the Boggans was too heavy. There were too many of them, and only a few that managed to get in ahead of the horde and get Tara out, but most, including my father, were not so lucky. He...he didn't make it out, and there wasn't any hope that he had survived. We all grieved his loss, but my mother most of all. She went mad. For days, she didn't eat or sleep. Most of the time, she didn't even move. She just sat, staring off into nothingness and leaving me and my sister on our own for days at a time. As time went on she got worse, and one day, I woke up to the sound of my little sister screaming at the top of her lungs. I rushed in to. Find our mother, sitting, hunched over in her chair, not moving, and not breathing. Ronin took us in after that, and for a while we achieved a state of normalcy. The storm had quelled, for the moment, only for a new tempest to rain down. A plague decsended upon our people. It ravaged the whole of Moonhaven, killing thousands. Among those that the plague destroyed was my dear, precious baby sister. She had been the only thing keeping me going, and now, not only was she gone, but I had to watch as the light faded from her eyes. She had been so happy and full of laughter, now replaced by sadness and ominous silence. Her skin grew pale and sickly, hair dull and lifeless, and no matter how much we made her eat, you could see every one of her ribs, and her face was so hollow it looked like that of a corpse. She coughed for what seemed to bw hours on end, became unable to stand, or even speak because of the pain it caused just to draw breath to do so. She died on her birthday. It was horrible, really. She had lost everything. Everything but me, and I lost her.

I couldn't lose M.K., no matter what, I had to protect her. I had lost too many people already, and losing her would probably kill me.

* * *

How dare that little she-devil?! No one wrongs me and lives. No one. I would have my revenge, those pathetic leafmen could be sure of it. The wench had slipped from my grasp, but it was no matter. I am a patient man, of that I was certain. I would let the little harlot have her moment of hope with the foolish leafman she was so infatuated with at the current time. Let her hope grow, soar, give her the illusion of safety. Of security. Peace of mind. Victory. And then crush it. A little hope is effective, too much is dangerous. A spark, if contained, is nice for keeping one warm, but, if set free, is good only for burning down a forest.

Yes, I could wait. I could be patient. For now. Let them have their reverie. Their little infatuation would never last, not if I was involved. I could tear down empired with a single word. Well, at least six of them. No pathetic Leaf Queen would stand in my way. I would have all I ever wanted and that was a fact to behold. I was a force to be reckoned with.

So it is to be war between us! This war is to rage with all the fires of hatred. Let the fire rain from the skies and smite all those in its path. Let you watch as your people die at your own hands. Let your people die because you are too selfish and stubborn to relinquish your pride and your self to save all of their lives, inluding that of your precious leafman. They will all die with the fire of my rage if you do not bow to my will. And so you will. All shall bow to me, and you will too. I shall have my beautiful world of frozen, dark, rotten putrification. No light shall be allowed to enter my domain. It will be eradicated like vermin along with those who dwell in it with their hideous happiness, now replaced with my wonderful misery and hatred. Two could play at this game. Let the battle rage. It will ravage the earth. Destroy all in its path.

My race will be reborn. Brought about to a new age by my hand. And if I am God, creator of all things by my own hand, what does that make you, my precious Leaf Queen?


	11. Chapter 11

What do you guys think about a time skip after this chapter? Not a huge one, five, six months, maybe? To work Mandrakes plot better. Sorry for not updating, I've had school in the way.

* * *

"What'd you s'pose Ronin would do if I skipped training this afternoon?" Nod asked lazily, propping himself up on his elbows next to me.

As if on cue, Ronin's voice sounded from outside, "He would be quite angry with you and would have you make up the time later, cleaning up after the birds!"

I giggled and Nod groaned, flopping back onto the bed. I leaned over and ruffled his hair, "poor wittle thing," I teased, and he leaned his head up and attempted to bite my hand. "Oi! That's not nice! "I decided, though I couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

"Who said I was nice?" Nod asked, "Certainly wasn't me, so I'm thinking that was an assumption on your part. "

"Yes. So? Why does that matter?"

"Because to assume is to make an ass out of 'u' and me," He answered. I tried to look angry with him, but I ended up laughing, instead.

"Yes, I get the Shakespeare, now go on, you're going to be late," I said pushing him towards the door.

"But I don't wanna! " He pouted.

"Get over it, it won't kill you." To which he clthed his chest, gasped, and feel back on the bed, pretending to be dead. "Okay Mr. Zombie Man, you still have to go."

He groaned and sat up. "Do I have to?" He whined. I nodded and pushed him towards the door.

"I'll be here when you get back. "

I had no ckue just how wrong I was.


	12. Chapter 12

I'd been gone so long now that time held no meaning for me anymore. At first, I had marked each day spent wallowing in this darkened hell, counting each precious moment until I could find a way out. Slowly, though, the days began to run together, the time began shipping away as I spent more and more time incapacitated, waiting, knowing that if there was any possible way he could, Nod would come for me. God, if me from a year ago could hear me, giving up my pride as a self rescuing princess, she would also me senseless.

But now... after what I can only assume had been weeks upon weeks of being changes to the only seemingly sturdy wall in the tiny, dingy room with no natural light whatsoever, even my faith in Nod was beginning to crumble. I was very sick- dying, I should think- and I knew it more clearly than I knew anything else. But that's okay, I don't fear death. I welcome it as one would welcome an old friend with which they would embark on a great journey with.

My mind briefly drifted to my mother, who had died only last year. I wondered if I would see her again after I was dead. I should think so, as death seemed quite like a pleasant dream at the moment, so it only seems logical I would see the mother I lost in death, though I never expected this to be the way I found my way back to her. Then again, things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect.

Then I thought of my dad and Ozzie. I knew that I should be sad that I would never see them again, and I couldn't help but feel the slightest twinge of guilt for it. I missed them terribly, and knowing I would never see them again, I solemnly wished them a silent farewell.

By now, tears were rolling down my grimy face, leaving tracks of clean skin behind them. The thought of Nod nearly killed me. What would happen to him once I was dead? Would he keep looking? Was he even still looking for me, or had he given up hope? Decided I was dead and mourned me, then moved on like everyone does?

I was pulled from my musings by a fit of coughing which left me shaking and the room swimming. The room was turning black and my eyelids drooped, bathing sight of a soft, golden light before they closed completely and my head thunked heavily against the stone floor as I lost consciousness.


	13. Chapter 13

Yes, I'm aware that the last chapter was confusing, as it was meant to be. I wrote it that way too show how confused M.K. was feeling. She's a sick, dying woman who's realized how hopeless her situation is, and is bringing what little comfort she can to herself. This chapter is from Nod's viewpoint to give a more clear picture of what's happened to M.K. as well as show the contrast in reaction towards the same situation.

Ps, if you get the reference in the chapter, you totes rock

* * *

The forest was dying. It was unnoticeable at first, seemingly the normal life and death pattern of nature, but it grew. Everything was dying, and that could only man one thing: M.K. was dying. Mandrake had kidnapped her over a little over a year ago, and I was still searching. I would never give up on her, but now, I didn't know how long I had until she wasn't around not to give up on.

Without her, it was like waking up to only half a blue sky, kinda there but not quite. Like walking around with just one shoe. I'm half a man, at best, with half an arrow I'm my chest, and I'm half a heart without her.

And it killed me because I knew she was facing this alone, waiting for me to come and find her and I had no clue where she was.

Time was running out, and I couldn't lose her. It would take a miracle to find her and that's exactly what I needed, but it looked like there wouldn't be one. I had to find her on my own, and I'd be damned if I didn't.

All it would take was a single slip on Mandrake's part and I would have her back, and slip up he did, he decided to rot the area around his hideout more than the rest of the forest. It would probably mean certain death if I went in, but I didn't have the time not to.

The were only a handful of rooms, and all but one were empty. I kicked open the door, hearing coughing and knowing someone, hopefully M.K., was inside. I ran in, sword drawn, ready on the defensive. I quickly puy it away and ran over to the collapsed girl across the room. I almost didn't recognize her, and when I did, it sickened me. It was M.K. Almost. She wasn't the M.K. I remembered. She was frail, her skin, burning with fever, was pale and sickly. Her hair was limp and dull. She was much too skinny to not have been starved, and her breathing was ragged and uneven, so much so that it sounded painful.

I gathered her into my arms and kissed her forehead, silently promising that I would make absolutely certain that she would be fine, that she would be back to herself, and that I would never let her go again. I was fighting back tears as I picked her up and carried her back to the bird as quickly as possible, urging my bird to speed up, rushing to Nim as fast as I could. He would know what to do, he never did, but he was sure to have a scroll that would be able to tell me what was wrong with her, and how I could fix it.

We got to Nim's to find Ronin already there, holding a scroll and looking devoid of all hope. He took M.K. from me and layed her down in a chair, then handed me the scroll. Yes, M.K. was dying, and there was no way for me to stop it.


	14. Chapter 14

Nim's POV (only pointing this out cause it's a new one)

* * *

I felt bad for lying to the poor kid, but it had to be done. There was only one way to save M.K. and she would have to agree to it, which she would never even consider doing, so it wasn't fair to get his hopes up like that. I had found a solution in a scroll on cures for various ailments, but knew how M.K. would react to it, and, even though I told Ronin, I couldn't bring myself to show it to Nod. I knew how he would take it.

The scroll said that, 'in order to preserve the life of the forest in the case of a terminal illness of a queen who has not yet been able to choose an heir and will not be able to before the approximate time of her death may choose to transfer the illness to another. This transfer will only succeed if both parties are willing participants, and if both are of sound mind at the time of transference.'

But I knew she would never let her sickness kill someone else in her place, no matter how willing the other person was.

* * *

I stormed back to Nim's tree as soon as I heard the news. Ronin told me.

"Is it true?" I asked him flat out.

"Is what true?" He asked nervously, rubbing the nack of his neck.

"Is there a way to save her?"

"Well...yes and no. There is, but for it to work, she'd have to agree to it, and she'd never do that. She'd have to save her own life by ending someone else's. She'd never do it, and we can't make her. "

I shook my head. She'd agree. She had to. We'd just have to present it in a different light. We had to make her see that if she didn't do this, nothing could survive with it her.

I couldn't survive without her.


	15. Chapter 15

"No! Absolutely not! I won't do it,"I protested, shaking my head adamantly. It was just plain wrong on so many levels that I couldn't even begin to count them.

"But M.K.-" I shook my head. I wouldn't do it. Couldnt do it. Not now, not could I ever justify killing someone in order for myself to go on living.

"Don't you but M.K. me, Nod! It's murder! And I won't stand for it! "

"So you'll consider this murder? Tell me, M.K., how many children do you think are in Moonhaven right now? In the forest? How many M.K. ? Can you sentence all of them to death? Is that justified? Is that better? Can you kill children M.K.? Is that murder? Or is that you preventing murder? Can you win in this, M.K.? Can anyone win in this, M.K.? How will you live with yourself as the first dies with you and all you can hear is the screaming of the children you've murdered?" Nod's voice was growing louder with each question as he moved closer, and by the time he had finished, I could feel the heat from his breath on my face, and I could see clearly for the first time the pain and anguish and hopelessness etched in his beautiful eyes. Tears were flowing freely down my face, I turned suddenly, striding to the window and starting out it, trying to compose myself as I gripped the windowsill to stop from falling down. Nod was at my side immediately, catching me and wrapping his arms around my waist to keep me upright.

"M.K., I can't lose you. I can't. Please, M.k., you have to see that, " Nod needed, looking like he was going to cry. I ached to stop him crying, to do whatever it would take to make his pain go away, but I couldn't. I couldn't agree to this. It was madness, all of it, and I wouldn't be a part of it.

His words struck a chord, however, and made me wonder if I really could sit idly and listen to children scream as the forest died and boggans overran it. And even worse, could I listen to the sobbing of those children's parents as their children where killed? I don't know that I could, and I was torn. Torn between my sense of morality and the truth that I didn't want to acknowledge. I knew I would have to, though, and that formed a knot in the pit of my stomach, especially knowing that if I didn't agree, I would be one of those mothers, mourning their child. Only, I wouldn't live without them for long, I'd be dead. I would die with my baby, or my baby would die with me, and there wasn't anything I could do to change that.


	16. Chapter 16

"I'll do it," I agreed finally and with a heavy heart. He engulfed me in a hug, then kissing me passionately, and at that moment, I wanted nothing more than to tell him. But I couldn't do that. Couldn't do that to him, couldn't do that to myself, and even though I knew it was selfish and wrong, I couldn't bring myself to give him hope and then take it away. Besides, I'd been hiding the truth from him for almost two months now. He'd find out soon enough, and by then I'll have figured out a way for us to work this out.

For once, I had no idea what to do. It'd been three months since I had gotten back , and nobody let me do anything by myself. It was crazy. I knew I should tell Nod, or at least _someone_ about how I was pregnant and all, but I knew that would make things even worse, and honestly, it would only stress me out more which would be horrible for the baby. So, I elected to hide my virtually nonexistent baby bump with loose shirts and pray that no one noticed my other symptoms.

Maybe, if things were different, I would have told Nod by then, but things weren't different. My life was a mess right then and adding in the stress of having everyone fuss over me even more, and the fact that I was nowhere near ready to be a mom were not good for my sanity or my health.

I could feel my thoughts growing fuzzy, my vision slipping away like a wave coming off the sand, and my entire body was numb and shaking. My knees buckled and my hearing became echo-y as I passed out. I felt Nod pick me up and set me gently on the bed as he called for help, he held my hand and everything went numb. It was like falling asleep, but more...instantaneous.

By the time I woke up, Nod was standing by the window, pacing. He had a pensive look on his face and was muttering to himself. I knew something was amiss right away. Firstly, he didn't pace. Ever. Secondly, I wasn't dizzy and sluggish like I had been, and hadn't woke up coughing.

"They transferred the illness," Nod mentioned softly, no longer pacing, but instead facing the window with his arms crossed. His statement shocked me. It made sense, but it still shocked me. That wasn't what was troubling him, though. I could tell. He turned to me and the look on his face was one of utter betrayal on a level that shattered my heart to pieces. Finally, he turned back to the window and spoke again, his broken voice matching my shattered heart.

"Why didn't you tell me?"


End file.
